New EPA chief's Alaska visit focuses debate over proposal for huge gold-and-copper mine

Last week new Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy was in Iowa winning over agriculture workers and farmers who were impressed with her sincerity to build a strong relationship with them. This week McCarthy stepped right into a heated mining dispute in Alaska, with some saying the proposed mine could bring much needed jobs and boost the economy, while opponents say the mine could destroy streams, wetlands and salmon populations, Sean Cockerham reports for McClatchy Newspapers. The proposed mine is in the watershed of Bristol Bay, the easternmost arm of the Bering Sea. (Anchorage Daily News photo by Bill Roth)

"The EPA is considering using the Clean Water Act to block the Pebble Mine even before it applies for permits," Cockerham writes. "The area of the mine is a massive green expanse bursting with lakes and streams, a sweeping land of moose, caribou and grizzly bears surrounded by mountains. The Pebble Partnership says the region’s deposit is one of the largest of its kind on the planet, with potential to produce 80.6 billion pounds of copper and 107.4 million ounces of gold over three decades." (New York Times map)

Janessa Woods, a mother of two who is employed by the mining company, told Cockerham, “There are no other job opportunities, absolutely none. If Pebble weren’t here I’d probably be on welfare, probably be on food stamps, probably be on energy assistance.” But others only see the harm the mine can bring. Nondalton Tribal Council President William Evanoff told McCarthy, "No amount of money or jobs can replace our way of life. The threats are real.”

The EPA released a study in April that "said the mine could wipe out nearly 100 miles of streams and 4,800 acres of wetlands in the Bristol Bay region. The EPA said it is finalizing the study, which is based on preliminary mine plans submitted to government agencies," Cockerham writes. McCarthy, who didn't take questions from reporters, "said before leaving she’s open-minded about Pebble." (Read more)

McCarthy's visit "drew positive reviews from combatants on both sides," reports Manuel Quinones of Environment & Energy News. For an audio report from Mike Mason of KDLG Radio in Dillingham, about McCarthy's meeting with residents of Iliamna, click here.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/08/28/200673/new-epa-chief-steps-into-alaska.html#.Uh8yAz--Mtc#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/08/28/200673/new-epa-chief-steps-into-alaska.html#.Uh8yAz--Mtc#storylink=cp

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/08/28/200673/new-epa-chief-steps-into-alaska.html#.Uh8yAz--Mtc#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/08/28/200673/new-epa-chief-steps-into-alaska.html#.Uh8yAz--Mtc#storylink=cpy